My Review

I'd been looking for a long time, searching for a new Mystery / Crime series to enjoy. Then one day whilst browsing through Free Audiobook Giveaways (a Facebook group) there it was; amongst all the books about shifters, sliders vampires and sci fi, shining through like a diamond on a beach full of pebbles was The Offer: Kerry Wilkinsons' Something Wicked, offered by the narrator, Nigel Patterson in return for a review.I knew I would like this story as soon as I heard Nigel Patterson acting the role of the radio announcer with the fake American accent. The next hook was the car pursuit of the wily and underestimated Stuart Deacon in his Audi, this was also my introduction to Andrew, the little bit seemingly boring P.I., and his lively assistant Jenny.It would be difficult to add to the publishers blurb without spoilers, so I won't, but needless to say, there are many twists to this story. The beauty of it is though, is that this is the first story of a series, and as such, cleverly lays the foundations for future stories. Now what about Jenny? Well, being the assistant to a private investigator, we know that she is bound by the laws of crime fiction to be clever and quick witted, and also to be very good with computers. She is all of these, yet Jenny is also a Very Odd Person, and I look forward to reading or listening to her story. Oh, and does she have a surname or is that a part of her mystery? I can't recall hearing one on my audiobook.As for her boss, Andrew Hunter, seems he's a bit of a mystery himself. I quite liked him, but at one point in the story he really went down in my estimation. However, later, when he'd proved that he could man up, he redeemed himself! I'm very much looking forward to his future story.I would never have believed I could like anything originating from the pen of a Sports Writer, but this is a thumping good story, tip top, and well suited to audio.

Narrator Nigel Patterson

Much of the success of an audiobook is, of course, dependant on the quality of the narration. For me, the best of the best narrators are the one who, when within a few moments of listening, one just doesn't notice them any more. The voice is pleasant, the rythymn and pace is just right, as are the accents and characterisations. There is nothing to jolt the listener away from the story and back to reality. Surely, this is how it should be? Such is their talent, that they can make or break an audiobook. Nigel Patterson is up there with the best of them, I fervently hope that the author and publishers continue to work with him for all the Andrew Hunter Audiobooks.You can go here to listen to his work and to also read an interview with Kerry Wilkinson: http://nigelpatterson.comThe author has himself a very interesting story to tell, you can go here to read it: http://kerrywilkinson.com